FTSE STI closed 1,847.98, up 27.11 points or 1.49% with a total volume of 1.98b and a total value of S$1.53b. Total number of advance vs decline was 368 vs 142. Of the 30 component index stocks, 21 closed positive, 8 closed negative and 1 remained unchanged. The top 5 gainer component stocks were :-
1. SIA +0.360
2. Jardine C&C +0.360
3. UOB +0.260
4. CityDev +0.200
5. OCBC +0.190
The top 5 loser component stocks were :-
1. JMH 400US$ -0.340
2. JSH 500US$ -0.100
3. ST Engg -0.070
4. CapitaMall -0.050
5. StarHub -0.040
5. SingTel -0.040
5. SMRT -0.040
US markets closed up last Friday after announcing of unemployment rate of 8.5% that was within market expectation. Asia markets took the cue and opened and closed positive for the day. Nikkei +1.24% and HSI +3.11%. STI closed +1.49% with bank, commodity, property and offshore/marine stocks continued the rally. Defensive stocks in general took a hit when investors sold off defensive stocks to buy into high-beta stocks. This week, US market will start its earning season and this is one event, investors will be closely monitored.
